CPHacademic

A Year with the Church Fathersfollows the seasonal movements of the Christian Church Year in a broad, general fashion. Drawn from the themes of Scripture itself, these devotions consider the salvation plan of God fulfilled in Jesus and carried to the world through the Church. Each in-depth, thought-provoking meditation connects Scripture and the Christian life to provide encouragement in the faith.

The following excerpt commemorates the Old Testament prophet Jonah and includes Augustine’s personal reflection on his mother, Monica, who daily lived out her Christian faith.

Faith and Act: The Survival of Medieval Ceremonies in the Lutheran Reformation presents Ernst Walter Zeeden’s classic study of how medieval church practices continued and developed within Lutheran church orders. Zeeden offers readers a unique perspective of how faith influences the act of worship. Historians of liturgy and theology will discover insights and important continuity between the Lutheran churches of the sixteenth century and their forebears of the late medieval period.

The following excerpt from Faith and Act discusses the objects and vestments of the Lutheran service, as well as the liturgical language and the actions of worship.

Includes the commonplaces On Original Sin, On Actual Sins, and On Free Choice. This volume is notable in opposing “decision theology,” in which one’s conversion and salvation depend ultimately on human choice.

August 2015:On the Law

This volume is notable for its comprehensive moral theology, structured upon the Ten Commandments and the double law of love. The volume consists of two commonplaces: On the Law of God and On Ceremonial and Forensic Laws.

August 2016:On the Gospel and Repentance

The volume consists of two commonplaces: On the Gospel and On Repentance. It also discusses Holy Absolution, the forgiveness of sins imparted through the word of forgiveness.

2017:On Interpreting Scripture; Method of Theological Study

Gerhard sets forth guidelines for properly interpreting Scripture (hermeneutics). The Method of Theological Study expands on those guidelines and gives advice to seminary students on how best to study theology and prepare for service to the church.

2018:On Justification

This volume, consisting of just one commonplace, handles the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and controversial topics such as: “Do sins against conscience deprive a person of faith, the Holy Spirit, and salvation?”

2019:On Good Works

2020:On Holy Baptism

2021:On the Resurrection and Last Judgment

2022:On the End of the World and on Eternal Death

2023:On Eternal Life

Volumes are released every year in the late summer or early fall. Subscribe and save at www.cph.org/gerhard. Become a subscriber to Theological Commonplaces and each new volume of Gerhard’s monumental series will be shipped to you automatically. Currently, volumes are priced at $59.99, but as a subscriber you will pay only $41.99, a 30% savings. Your subscription starts with the newest volume and you will continue to receive each new volume. As an added bonus, new subscribers can purchase previously released volumes at the same 30% savings.

Johann Gerhard (1582–1637) is considered by many as the third preeminent theologian of the Lutheran Reformation, following Martin Luther and Martin Chemnitz. In his magisterial Theological Commonplaces, he systematically, skillfully, and precisely presents the doctrines of the Christian faith, arguing against the positions of Roman Catholics (as represented by Robert Bellarmine) and the Reformed (as represented by Calvin, Beza, and others), as well as other more radical sects (such as the Socinians).